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Every stroke Mitch Boocock takes is for better mental health.
When Mitch Boocock swims from Hatfields Beach to Orewa this Easter he says each of the 4200 strokes he takes will be for someone lost to suicide in the past seven years.
The 4km swim is the goal of his Swim for Life project, which has already raised more than $5000 for Mike King’s Key to Life Charitable Trust.
The solo ocean swim is both a physical and mental challenge for the 47-year-old Orewa resident – something he thought was appropriate in order to raise as much money as possible for the trust.
“When I started I resembled a manatee more than Michael Phelps, but I have worked my backside off to do justice to the cause,” he says.
He says he hopes that raising funds and promoting the Key to Life Charitable Trust’s work will contribute towards saving a life.
The trust aims to increase awareness about mental health and suicide among youth and adults. It is an issue that is close to Mitch’s heart – Mitch has suffered with low self esteem and anxiety most of his adult life and says in the past year he has also seen families he is close to, struggle to cope with the devastation and loss caused when young people take their own lives.
“I can’t stand by any longer and not do something about the number of our precious children, including those on the Hibiscus Coast, who are taking their own lives,” Mitch says. “I wanted to do something solo because that is mentally difficult and swimming is about the loneliest thing you can do. You can prepare physically, but when you are out in the ocean and your breathing goes south, doubt and anxiety can make things turn to dust pretty quickly. I wanted to do something that made me feel vulnerable in order to be worthy of the cause.”
He has been training, mainly in a pool, for more than two months. When he started, Mitch says he was out of shape and couldn’t swim 150m without “thinking the world would end” but he can now cover 2.5km in a pool comfortably. Along the way, he lost 10kg.
Support has come through his Givealittle page and he says he has been blown away by the response – his initial target of $1500 has already been exceeded, with pledges so far totalling around $5500 from more than 80 donors.
Mitch says several people have also reached out to him, wanting to talk about their own mental health issues since he began his Swim for Life project.
“The best advice I can offer is to talk to people about whatever it is that scares you, the fear of failure, how you suffer personally. A problem shared really is a problem halved. I’m no expert, but I will listen and can offer support if someone needs it when going to speak with a professional.”
You can just about see Orewa Surf Club on the far shore, when you are standing on Hatfields Beach. It looks a long way away but it feels even further to Mitch.
He expects his swim will take around 1.5-2 hours to complete, depending on the conditions. He will leave Hatfields Beach on Saturday, March 31 at 2pm and says a lot of people are planning to gather at Orewa Surf Club to see him finish.
“I look across to Orewa from Hatfields Beach and it scares me. However, every one of the strokes I take – around 4200 – will be for someone who has been lost to suicide in the last seven years in NZ. That’s my motivation.”
Info: donations can be made at Givealittle (look for Swim for Life) until the end of April. Alternatively, donations can be dropped in at the Horse & Harp, 304 Hibiscus Coast Highway, Orewa.
I am Hope tour
During March 2018, Mike King and a group of friends rode eight Suzuki 50cc scooters painted by NZ artists from one end of the country to the other. Along the way they stopped at around 45 schools and community halls and talk to more than 20,000 students and adults about mental health, and how everyone can be the hope someone needs when times are tough.
